Vanilla Frozen Custard

We had our foray into ducks last year. I did not like it to say the least. They were dirty and smelly. The only perk to having ducks was cooking them for dinner! Thankfully, there are many people who enjoy having ducks on their farms and (even better) sometimes they share their excess eggs with me. Yay! That was exactly what happened to me recently. To get an idea of how big these are, they are sitting in a "jumbo" egg carton and it wouldn't close.

I was trying to decide what to do with these gorgeous eggs, when I realized that the extra rich yolks would be great for custard. I went in search of a custard recipe and found this one from Better Homes and Gardens and adapted it to highlight the richness of the duck eggs.

What you'll need:

3/4 cup sugar

4 cups half and half

5 duck egg yolks (slightly beaten)

1 teaspoon vanilla (or one vanilla bean scraped out) 

First, separate the eggs. I put the whites up in the freezer so I could use them later on. Then, break up the yolks and slightly whisk them. 

In a large saucepan, stir together sugar and half and half, then add in yolks. Heat and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens slightly. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon, but still drip. 

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Place saucepan in an ice bath. For me, that was the kitchen sink! Let the custard cool, stirring every few minutes.

Pour mixture into a 2 quart pitcher, add lid and refrigerate until cold-ideally overnight. Then freeze according to your ice cream maker directions. 

Serve immediately for soft serve or freeze for a harder set. I love the color the yolks give this custard and the rich yolks give it a great flavor. We enjoyed ours with some chex mix peppermint muddy buddies crushed up on the top.